Luke Coulson's first goals of the season helped Ebbsfleet into the first round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Coulson's first-half brace knocked the stuffing out of Worthing after the Bostik Premier side had made a lively start.

Dave Winfield made it 3-0 early in the second half and the Rebels put through their own goal late on as Fleet banked £25,000 in prize money.

The days leading up to the game were dominated by talk of a financial restructure at the club after it was revealed staff and players had regularly been paid late over the past 10 months.

Cuts had already been made to Daryl McMahon's backroom staff, with assistant manager Steve Gritt and first team coach David Jupp both missing from the home dugout having left the club on Thursday.

On the pitch, Ebbsfleet were unchanged from the 2-1 defeat at Solihull Moors although striker Michael Cheek wasn't included in their 18-man squad.

Ebou Adams and Myles Weston, having been away on international duty, were on the bench as was Lawrie Wilson, back with Fleet after a month on loan at Maidstone.

In-form Worthing looked exactly like a side yet to lose on the road this season, knocking the ball around confidently and finding space in midfield to start attacking moves.

Callum Kealy spun and shot over before Oliver Pearce tried his luck from distance.

McMahon was furious at the ease with which Worthing passed their way through the lines as the home side struggled to rouse themselves.

David Ajiboye should have put the Rebels in front when Pearce sent him running into the box but Ebbsfleet were saved by Sam Magri's brilliant recovery tackle.

There was no tempo to the Fleet's play and Worthing's bench were screaming for a penalty when Kealy latched onto Ajiboye's pass and went down under Chris Bush's challenge.

Fleet registered their first shot in the 22nd minute but Coulson's effort, after cutting inside from the left, lacked conviction and sailed well wide.

A fine diagonal ball picked out Ajiboye, wide on the Worthing left, and his low cross fizzed through the six-yard box without a touch.

The home side, with Corey Whitely their best outlet down the right, belatedly grew into the game and when Dean Rance spread play wide to Whitely, his dangerous cross was touched behind for a corner.

But Whitely's next involvement, on 31 minutes, led to the opener. Ebbsfleet punished a mix-up in the Rebels defence as Rance laid the ball back to Whitely, whose cross was converted by Coulson from around 12 yards.

The same players combined again to make it 2-0 nine minutes later with Coulson again on the end of a fantastic Whitely cross after he'd been fed down the right by Magri.

Between the goals, referee David Rock had waved away appeals for a penalty when Kedwell's clever flick sent Coulson haring into the box and he tumbled under Joel Colbran's challenge.

Fleet, having scored the first goal at home for the first time this season, suddenly looked a different team as the confidence started to return.

They moved the ball from left to right at pace and Whitely bent a shot just over after coming inside onto his left foot.

But the visitors should have pulled a goal back on the stroke of half-time when Pearce got in behind and flashed a low shot across the face of goal and just wide.

Worthing needed to score next to keep the tie alive but Ebbsfleet made it 3-0 within six minutes of the restart.

Winfield, having just forced a good save from Kleton Perntreou, powered a header into the net from Jack Payne's left-wing corner.

Payne then picked out Andy Drury with a free-kick from the right but Drury, unmarked, volleyed straight at Perntreou in the Rebels goal.

Worthing's day was summed up when Pearce burst into the box and rounded Nathan Ashmore but somehow rolled the ball wide of an open goal.

Aarran Racine got up well to meet a corner from the right but his header was cleared off the line by Kedwell.

Kedwell then laid on what Coulson thought was his hat-trick goal but just as he pulled the trigger from the inside-right channel, Will Miles arrived with a sliding block.

The game was won now but Worthing didn't lose heart and Miles went close with a low shot from outside the box which had Ashmore scrambling for a moment.

Miles did find the net, nine minutes from time, but it was at the wrong end as he turned Myles Weston's low cross into his own net via the post.

Ashmore saved Ajiboye's penalty late on after the forward had been fouled by Winfield, before diving to his left to deny the same player again barely a minute later.

Ebbsfleet: Ashmore, Magri, Winfield, Clark, Bush, Payne, Whitely (McQueen 75mins), D Rance (Weston 56mins), Drury, Coulson (Shields 74mins), Kedwell. Subs not used: King, Adams, Miles, Wilson.

Worthing: Perntreou, Colbran, Miles, Racine, Parsons (Skerry 76mins), Budd (Clarke 80mins), Barker, Crane (Aguir 55mins), Ajiboye, Pearce, Kealy. Subs not used: Rents, Relf, Ovenden, J Rance.

Attendance: 1,011.